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Server Setup

This guide describes how to set up the MultiPi server application on a Linux machine.

Prerequisites

Before installing the MultiPi server, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

  1. Operating System: Only tested on Linux, might work on other systems.
  2. Python: Python 3.x installed.
  3. FFmpeg: Required for video processing. Install using your system's package manager (e.g., sudo apt-get install ffmpeg on Debian/Ubuntu).
  4. MQTT Broker: A running MQTT broker is required for communication between the server and clients. If you don't have one, you can install and configure Mosquitto (see MQTT Broker Setup below).

Server Installation

These steps assume you haven't already cloned the repository and set up a virtual environment following the main README.

  1. Clone the Repository:

    git clone https://github.com/M-Eng/multipi.git
cd multipi

  2. Install Python Dependencies: Install the server's required Python packages.

    pip install -r src/server/requirements.txt

MQTT Broker Setup (Mosquitto)

MultiPi uses MQTT for communication. If you need to set up a broker, these instructions cover installing Mosquitto and securing it with TLS certificates.

  1. Install Mosquitto: Use your system's package manager.

    # Example for Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mosquitto mosquitto-clients

  2. Generate TLS Certificates (Self-Signed Example): These commands generate a Certificate Authority (CA), server certificate, and client certificate. Store these securely (e.g., in a ~/certs directory).

    # Choose a directory for certificates (e.g., mkdir ~/certs; cd ~/certs)

# Create Certificate Authority (CA)
openssl genrsa -out ca.key 2048
openssl req -new -x509 -days 3650 -subj "/CN=MultiPiCA" -key ca.key -out ca.crt

# Create Server Certificate
openssl genrsa -out server.key 2048
# IMPORTANT: Replace 'your_server_hostname_or_ip' with the actual hostname or IP address
# clients will use to connect to the broker.
openssl req -new -subj "/CN=your_server_hostname_or_ip" -key server.key -out server.csr
openssl x509 -req -in server.csr -CA ca.crt -CAkey ca.key -CAcreateserial -out server.crt -days 3650

# Create Client Certificate (used by MultiPi server/clients to connect to broker)
openssl genrsa -out client.key 2048
openssl req -new -subj "/CN=MultiPiClient" -key client.key -out client.csr
openssl x509 -req -in client.csr -CA ca.crt -CAkey ca.key -CAcreateserial -out client.crt -days 3650

  3. Configure Mosquitto for TLS: Edit the Mosquitto configuration file (usually /etc/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf or a file in /etc/mosquitto/conf.d/). Add the following lines, adjusting file paths to where you stored your certificates:

    # Basic settings
pid_file /run/mosquitto/mosquitto.pid
persistence true
persistence_location /var/lib/mosquitto/
log_dest file /var/log/mosquitto/mosquitto.log

# Allow clients without username/password if they have a valid certificate
allow_anonymous true 
# Use port 8883 for TLS connections
listener 8883

# TLS settings - ADJUST PATHS!
cafile /path/to/your/certs/ca.crt
certfile /path/to/your/certs/server.crt
keyfile /path/to/your/certs/server.key
require_certificate true # Clients must present a certificate signed by the CA
# Optional: Specify TLS version (recommended)
# tls_version tlsv1.2

    Ensure the Mosquitto user (often mosquitto) has read access to the certificate files. You might need to adjust permissions:

    # Example: Grant read access to the key file (adjust path)
sudo chown mosquitto:mosquitto /path/to/your/certs/server.key
sudo chmod 640 /path/to/your/certs/server.key 
# Or, less secure but simpler for testing:
# sudo chmod a+r /path/to/your/certs/server.key

  4. Restart Mosquitto: Apply the configuration changes.

    sudo systemctl restart mosquitto.service

  5. Verify (Optional): Check the status and logs:

    sudo systemctl status mosquitto.service
sudo journalctl -u mosquitto.service

    Test publishing and subscribing using the generated certificates (adjust paths and hostname):

    # Terminal 1 (Subscriber)
mosquitto_sub -h your_server_hostname_or_ip -p 8883 --cafile /path/to/your/certs/ca.crt --cert /path/to/your/certs/client.crt --key /path/to/your/certs/client.key -t test/topic

# Terminal 2 (Publisher)
mosquitto_pub -h your_server_hostname_or_ip -p 8883 --cafile /path/to/your/certs/ca.crt --cert /path/to/your/certs/client.crt --key /path/to/your/certs/client.key -t test/topic -m "hello secure mqtt"

Server Configuration

Configure the MultiPi server application:

  1. Navigate to the configuration directory: cd configs/
  2. Copy the example configuration: cp config_server.example.ini config_server.ini (Adjust if the example file has a different name)
  3. Edit config_server.ini with your settings, paying close attention to:
    • [MQTT]: Broker address, port (e.g., 8883 for TLS), and paths to the client certificate (client.crt), client key (client.key), and CA certificate (ca.crt) generated previously.
    • [WEBSERVER]: Address and port for the web interface (e.g., 5000).
    • [MAIN]: Path to the directory where video data should be stored (VIDEO_DATA_DIR). Ensure this directory exists and the server has write permissions.

Refer to the main README's Configuration section and comments within the example configuration file for more details. Return to the project root after editing: cd ..

Running the Server

Start the server application:

python3 src/server/start.py

The server should connect to the MQTT broker and start the web interface. You can access the web interface at the address specified in config_server.ini on port 5000 by default.

Auto-start on Boot (Optional)

Similar to the client, you can create a systemd service file to run the server automatically on boot. You would need to create a multipi-server.service file, ensuring the ExecStart path points to the correct Python executable in your virtual environment and the start.py script, and set the correct WorkingDirectory. Remember to configure the server fully before enabling the service.